Prisoner try infamous 'Cinnamon Challenge' behind bars

Prisoner try infamous ‘Cinnamon Challenge’ behind bars

Published on: October 17, 2017

Video was filmed on an illegal mobile phone in HMP Erlestoke in Wiltshire
Inmates can be heard shouting ‘you gotta swallow it’ during challenge
Finding the task too difficult, one vomits into a sink as the others laugh

By Charlie Moore For Mailonline

Published: 19:19 BST, 17 October 2017 | Updated: 19:21 BST, 17 October 2017

Coughing and spluttering while their fellow inmates laugh hysterically, these prisoners appeared to be having a whale of a time while taking on the infamous Cinnamon Challenge from behind bars.

In a video filmed on an illegal mobile phone in HMP Erlestoke in Wiltshire, inmates can be heard shouting ‘you gotta swallow it’ as the challengers struggle to get the Cinnamon down.

Finding the task too difficult, one vomits into a sink as the others laugh and shriek.

These prisoners appeared to be having a whale of a time while taking on the infamous Cinnamon Challenge from behind bars

These prisoners appeared to be having a whale of a time while taking on the infamous Cinnamon Challenge from behind bars

While it may seem like an easy task, the cinnamon challenge is actually nearly impossible to complete.

When the dry cinnamon coats the inside of the mouth, swallowing becomes extremely difficult.

Irritation from the spice causes many to unwillingly spit out the cinnamon, or even vomit.

While no one in the video has a life-threatening reaction, the cinnamon challenge has been linked to several illnesses in the past, and in some extreme cases, even death.

A 2013 study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics exposed the potentially severe health risks of the cinnamon challenge.

In a video filmed on an illegal mobile phone in HMP Erlestoke in Wiltshire, inmates can be heard shouting 'you gotta swallow it'

In a video filmed on an illegal mobile phone in HMP Erlestoke in Wiltshire, inmates can be heard shouting ‘you gotta swallow it’

According to the study, numerous children and teenagers have been hospitalized due to respiratory complications from the challenge. Some even required ventilator support after suffering a collapsed lung.

The study even warns that ‘a lung infection like pneumonia can develop later because cinnamon does not dissolve or break down.’

As recently as 2015, one woman’s four-year-old son accidentally died after ingesting large quantities of cinnamon, which caused him to choke and eventually asphyxiate.